Winter Service Policy 2025/26
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 September 2025
Back to Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee — 11 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 1 SEPTEMBER 2025 WINTER SERVICE POLICY 2025/26 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Each year Members consider for approval, the Council’s Winter Service Policy. The format and general content of the Winter Service Policy 2025/26 remains similar to that of the 2024/25 Policy and is unchanged in general scope since the PPG 2008. 1.2 The policy sets out priorities for treatment and routes, which will be ‘pre-treated’ in advance of winter hazards. In prolonged winter conditions, the policy provides for all roads to be treated, with resources being allocated to focus on the hierarchy of priorities (i.e. the lower priorities will only be cleared once the higher priorities have been treated and remain clear of any recurring hazards). 1.3 The policy is a comprehensive document setting out the management, governance and operational requirements for the winter service. The policy sets out signing provision to warn the travelling public of roads which are unsuitable for use during extreme winter conditions. The policy also provides a protocol for the reduction in use of salt and preservation of remaining stocks in the event of salt stock replenishment operations being disrupted. This was introduced following the severe winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 when national salt supplies were interrupted. 1.4 It is recommended that the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee :- • Approves the 2025/26 Winter Maintenance Policy Document at Appendix 1 • Endorses that a further review of the winter maintenance policy is undertaken prior to the 2026/27 winter maintenance season which includes a review of the total percentage of the road network that is currently treated and, recognising this is 10% higher than the average for the rural group authorities, whether efficiencies on this can be achieved. With an options report back to Committee during early summer 2026 • Approves the Salt Use Reduction and Preservation of Stocks Protocol at Appendix 2. • Notes the Advisory signing, routes unsuitable in severe conditions at Appendix 3 • Notes the Frontline Treatment Vehicle Fleet 2025-26 at Appendix 4 • Notes the Salt Stocks monitoring and resilience record at Appendix 5 • Notes weather summary from season 2024-25 at Appendix 6
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 WINTER SERVICE POLICY 2025/26 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This report presents the Winter Service Policy 2025/26 which remains in a similar format and covers a similar network to the Policy approved by this Committee in previous years. This generally remains based on the network and times of the public bus service with additional priority and resources allocated to strategic highspeed roads. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee:- • Approves the 2025/26 Winter Maintenance Policy Document at Appendix 1 • Endorses that a further review of the winter maintenance policy is undertaken prior to the 2026/27 winter maintenance season which includes a review of the total percentage of the road network that is currently treated and, recognising this is 10% higher than the average for the rural group authorities, whether efficiencies on this can be achieved. With a report to Committee during early summer 2026 • Approves the Salt Use Reduction and Preservation of Stocks Protocol at Appendix 2 • Notes the Advisory signing, routes unsuitable in severe conditions at Appendix 3 • Notes the Frontline Treatment Vehicle Fleet 2025/26 at Appendix 4 • Notes the Salt Stocks monitoring and resilience record at Appendix 5 • Notes weather summary from season 2024-25 at Appendix 6 DETAIL 4.0 Winter Maintenance Policy 2025/26 4.1 The proposed Winter Maintenance Policy for 2025/26, in terms of treatment standards and routes, remains largely unchanged from last year. The current hierarchy of routes in section-4 of the policy, allows for 54.24% of the adopted road network to be subject to pre-treatment. This is the highest proportion within the seven authorities in the SCOTS Project Group1(Rural) and 10% above the average for all Scottish authorities. 4.2 The changes brought in over the previous two seasons have been subject to review as part of the annual process of end of season assessment and future planning.
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• The second year of the new Weather Forecast contract with Metdesk Ltd was reviewed at a West of Scotland Group meeting in May 2025. The out-turn performance figure for accuracy of the Argyll and Bute forecast was above the industry norm of 90%-92% with an outturn figure of 94.4 % for the season • Revised routes, implemented over the previous seasons were reviewed for effectiveness. The Kintyre routes K1-K3, additional L7 Lorn Arc treatment route and the addition of the road C07 Ardlamont section onto the C6 pre- treatment route in Cowal were all successfully delivered as planned, within the parameters of the policy. • Standby shifts were altered to run from Thursday afternoon to the following Thursday morning. This allowed operatives in depots with limited numbers, resulting in “one on – one off” shift patterns to be allowed the potential for a long weekend Friday – Monday break, without the need for substitute drivers. This pattern operated successfully all through last winter season and has continued through the parallel “Summer Standby” out of hours commitment. The Policy has been adjusted to allow for the Thursday starts for the coming season. 4.3 Storm Eowyn crossed Argyll and Bute on 23rd and 24th January and was considered a severe danger to life. Consequently, operations staff were instructed to stand-to awaiting an abatement in the conditions, with a maximum gust of approaching 100mph recorded on the Friday. Once safe to mobilise on Saturday 25th resources were initially engaged in closing roads on safety grounds, due to dangerous buildings. Through the weekend, works concentrated on the removal of physical obstructions to the network, with almost all removed by Tuesday 28th January apart from a small number restricted to single file, controlled by traffic lights. 4.4 The advisory signs for alternative routes in severe snow conditions remain similar for the four routes proposed in previous years. Details on sign configuration and locations are contained in Appendix 3 of this report. 4.5 Winter stand-by arrangements will commence on Thursday 30th October 2025 and will continue until Thursday 16th April 2026. There remains a total of 32 treatment routes detailed in the policy’s operational planning web-based management tool. Should weather conditions dictate, it may be necessary to bring forward the start date and/or push back the finish date. This would be determined operationally depending on the forecasts received or observed weather conditions. 4.6 The Winter Treatment Fleet for 2025/26 will be similar to last winter. This will consist of 17 hired gritters from Econ Ltd. 8 of 26t 9cu.m capacity and 9 of 18t 6cu.m capacity, retained on a further one year extension. 1 contractor vehicle on Jura and 13 Council vehicles. The Council element consists of the updated frontline winter capable fleet of Quick-Change Body (QCB) demountable, multipurpose vehicles procured during 2021. This provides 32 main frontline vehicles with 3 spare 18t 6cu.m capacity multipurpose vehicles and 3 back-up 12t 3.5cu.m multipurpose vehicles to cover breakdowns. In addition, a further 4 x 7.5 tonne tippers can accommodate ploughs, giving a total of 10 extra vehicles that can be deployed together with Contractors’/ Farmers’ tractors and ‘V’ ploughs if conditions demand.
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4.7 A further review of overall winter capable fleet was carried out after concerns raised in 2023-24 season on the limited ability to react to the occasional severe frosts on Tiree and Coll. Additional trailer gritters for use in conjunction with transit pick-up sized vehicles were procured for Tiree, Coll, Colonsay and Lismore. These facilities will be in place for the coming season, including parallel towing and salt loading facilities. Staff on these islands will react to conditions under priority 4 of the Policy. 4.8 The requirement to manage drivers’ hours within the delivery of all Council Services directly impacts on the retention of the Council’s Operator Licence. Drivers from across the operational teams (grounds, waste, roads) deliver the pre-treatment service, in conjunction with external contractor assistance on the island of Jura. In extended periods of extreme winter conditions consideration will be given, at an operational level, to prioritising services to ensure that winter treatments can be delivered. This may result, for example, in refuse collections and other services being temporarily suspended in order to prioritise the clearing of ice and snow. Such measures are only likely in prolonged periods of extreme weather. 4.9 Steps are taken each year to increase the available driver “pool” by utilising other council drivers including grounds and waste disposal operatives. Discussions are ongoing to resource additional resilience by engaging assistance from external contractors on mainland and island routes where in-house coverage is limited. The age demographic of operatives within the service, coupled with limitations on recruitment at local levels, indicates that a deficit in the driver pool may further develop in several districts, making the delivery of the current policy difficult to maintain in future years. 4.10 In extreme and prolonged weather events and where other priority tasks occur (such as responses to road traffic collisions, collapsed culverts, fallen trees etc) resources may need to be allocated based on a risk-based priority. 4.11 Table 1 below indicates the statistical variations in operational activities over the last eight winter seasons. Weather patterns vary with some years experiencing hazards more widespread and in others more concentrated on inland and higher routes. The equivalent Full Fleet runs statistic is used to indicate an approximation to the budget allowance. The application of salt varies between 10gm2 and 40gm2 depending on a number of factors including road surface temperature, forecast and residual salt. In parallel with these methods, grit and sand are applied in snow conditions. The route with the individual highest number of turn-outs, was consistently the A819 East Lorn Strategic Route in previous years, due to its North Eastern inland, high level sections. However, last season A815 Dunoon – Cairndow strategic route pre- treatment vehicle was mobilised on 109 times, with A819 turned out 105 times.
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Table 1 Winter Season 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Equivalent Full Fleet Runs 110nr 62nr 78nr 79nr 65nr 66nr 71nr 81nr Salt used in all treatments tonnes 22,992t 13,059t 12,280t 15,753t 11,030t 12,535t 12,070t 11,755t Most turned out Treatment route. Mobilisations = nr A819 = 162nr A819 = 109nr A819 = 139nr A819 = 114nr A819 = 107nr A819 = 94nr A819 = 103nr A815 = 103nr A815 = 109nr A819 = 105nr 4.12 It remains a considerable time since we have experienced a large scale snow event. Even the “Beast from the East” in 2017 only affected the Eastern domains of Lomond, Bute and Cowal with the rest of Argyll largely untouched. It is likely that should a longer spell of snow affect the whole of Argyll, a considerable escalation in resources and hence budget spend will be required to maintain lifeline accesses to communities. Appendix 6 to this report provides a summary of the 2024/25 winter conditions. 4.13 Footways and footpaths will only be treated, in periods of lasting hazard, when it is considered by the winter management team that the physical condition of the footways and footpaths makes it necessary and treatments will be effective. Footways and footpaths will usually only be treated during normal working hours. Staffing levels are such that we generally do not have sufficient operatives available to deal with footways and footpaths in parallel with treatments of the carriageway. The mobilisation of external resources to assist in footway treatments, is a balance of cost benefit against potential thaw conditions rendering treatments un-necessary. This winter maintenance policy applies to the public road network and a limited number of emergency service and public transport routes. Public car parks, access to council offices, schools etc all being subject to local arrangements out with the scope of this policy. 4.14 In specific locations additional information and diversion signing will be erected to further inform drivers of the hazardous conditions on some routes and advise them of alternative routes where available resources will concentrate on maintaining treatments. There are four roads where signing to indicate specific alternative routes are available. The signs deployed for these road closures are detailed in Appendix3. 1. A817 “Haul Rd”, Lomond. Snow gates at A82 and A814 “central” roundabout Diversion via A818 Arden - A814 Garelochhead 2. C46 Glen Aros / Glenbellart road , Mull Signs at Aros Bridge and Dervaig Primary School Diversion via A848 Tobermory 3. C9 Glenfinart Road (The Larach), Cowal Signs at Whistlefield Hotel and Sligrachan Bus turning head; Diversion via A880 Cot House
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4. C11 Otter Hill road ( Bealach an Drain), Cowal Signs at Glendaruel A886 and Otter Ferry B8000; Diversion via A8003 Tighnabruaich and Kames. 4.15 Graph 1 indicates the trend in winter activity spend against budget for the last decade, in what is essentially, a static Policy. The Council’s Winter Maintenance budget was increased by £500k in Financial Year 2019/20 to an operational budget of £2.12M. Despite further budget increases to £2.304M for 2023-24 and £2.673M for 2024-25, further unit cost increases have consistently resulted in annual costs exceeding budget allowance. The actual cost of winter maintenance is dependent upon the severity of winter conditions and is a financial risk, in that the service responds in accordance with set policy to variable weather events, which are not predictable. The amount of salt used per year will vary, depending on the grams per sq.m instructed in the individual route plans, for each mobilisation, which are dictated by the weather forecast and actual observed conditions. 4.11 - Table 1 refers. Graph 1 4.16 Overall the financial out-turn cost for winter 2024-25 was recorded as £2,878,902 at 31st March once accruals were allocated, against a budget of £2,673,368, an excess of £205,534 equivalent to 8%. This indicates a continuation of the general increase in the unit costs of winter and hence the average cost of a full fleet mobilisation. 4.17 Salt stocks totalling 8,884 tonnes were recorded in all stores at the end of season 2023-24. The recorded total of salt purchased last winter amounted to 12,721 tonnes delivered to all stores by a combination of bulk shipping and road deliveries. A total of 11,755 tonnes of rock salt was recorded as used in all treatments, including grit heaps and bins, from mid-October 2024 to late March 2025, with no positive action required in the remaining period up to mid-April, end of Winter Standby operations. 4.18 Salt prices are accepted through the Scotland Excel contract from our term supplier Irish Salt Mining and Exploration Ltd. The price increase agreed in May 2024 amounted to 5% to 6% per tonne overall. These prices were held for last winter, with the average price £55.29 / tonne, delivered to depots. The unit prices for 2025- 26 are expected through Scotland Excel by September for implementation in November. Budget
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4.19 The Gritter Hire Contract with Econ Ltd. has been extended for a further year, retaining the current fleet of 17nr PMGs for 2025-26. The hire for the core period, allowing for potential early mobilisation equates to a 6 month period from 15th October to 16th April. The core period hire costs are estimated at £486,024.00. The hired PMGs and in-house fleet of frontline treatment vehicles is shown in Appendix 4. 4.20 The budget for winter 2025-25 is similar the last season at £2,672,426. This allows the equivalent fleet runs monitoring figure, to be set at 80nr runs for the coming season. 4.21 As of July 2025, the Council held a stock of approximately 7,914 tonnes of useable salt. Provisional orders are in place for a further 3,500 tonnes. Deliveries will be called forward in October to top up capacity in storage facilities to the target starting stock of +11,000 tonnes. Salt deliveries will continue to be ordered throughout the winter period to keep reserves stocked and preserve resilience. Weekly salt stock lists are submitted to Scottish Government as part of a Scotland wide winter resilience plan- Appendix 5 4.22 The Salt Use Reduction and Preservation of Stocks protocol was introduced in December 2010 in light of severe shipping and material shortages. This was reviewed and updated in 2020 and is attached at Appendix 2. 4.23 The assessment of school routes subject to pre-treatment before 08:00hrs, is covered under Priority 3b of the route hierarchy, in section 4 of the Policy. This is reviewed each year once the pupil intake for August is confirmed. The policy remains similar to previous years, where sections of routes not already included under Priority 1 & 2 or P3a Service bus routes, are added to the pre-treatment routes, when at least 12 pupils are carried on transport provided by the council. Transport Scotland 4.24 Following the decision to trunk the southern section of the A83 in 2014, Transport Scotland are the roads authority for this section of road Kennacraig – Campbeltown. The G6 trunk road contract for NW area had a commencement date of 16th August 2022 and was retained by BEAR Scotland Ltd as the Operating Company. 4.25 BEAR Scotland Ltd confirmed the establishment of their own operational depot at Machrihanish, for winter 2023-24. Since then, there has been no further requirement for A&BC to provide resources to BEAR for winter maintenance on A83 Kintyre. 4.26 Due to the isolated nature of some sections of the Council network, directly connected to the trunk road, BEAR Scotland provides assistance in compliance with the A&BC policy with regards to transport interfaces under Priority 2. Treatments are delivered by trunk road vehicles on return journeys, after completing their routes. • Bridge of Orchy Rail Station road (and Fire station) – Off A82 • Furnace Village Bus Loop - Off A83
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Winter Policy Review 4.27 Whilst the budget is effectively the same sum as last year, the governing factor is related to driver resources, with pressures on the current capability. This trend will eventually become unsustainable given the age demographic of drivers. The availability of local contractors to supplement the full time employees, is also subject to variation and localised pressure. However, for the purpose of this report, Officers are not requesting any further increase to this year’s budget, at this time. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 This report details the Council’s Winter Maintenance Policy for 2025/26 and highlights the pressures on resources and operational effectiveness due to the constraints of future funding levels and best practice advice. 5.2 Committee is asked to approve the Winter Service Policy 2025/26 and note the details in Appendices 1 – 6. 5.3 A consultation process will commence in parallel with the 2025-26 operational winter period, to review the Winter Policy – level of service. This will look at the current policy based largely on the public bus service routes, with a view to determining fair, equitable and efficient ways to reduce the winter commitment within the Council’s obligations for Road Safety and Economic growth. Consideration will be given to current and predicted physical and financial resources, within the Revenue budget. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy – It is considered to be good practice for Committee to confirm policy for winter maintenance activity on an annual basis. This report seeks to achieve the above. 6.2 Financial – The Council’s Winter Maintenance budget is a similar sum £2.672 million (from £2.673 million) for this financial year, to cater for previous and anticipated unit cost pressures. This provides the capability to deliver the equivalent of approximately 80 full runs of the treatment fleet over the coming season. The actual cost of winter maintenance is dependent upon the severity of winter conditions and is a financial risk in that the service respond s to weather events that are not predictable. Should the criteria for school bus routes change this will affect the budget required. 6.3 Legal – The Winter Maintenance Policy sets out the Council’s level of service provision for winter maintenance, with reference to Section 34 of Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. 6.4 HR – Staffing levels have reduced over recent years, this can make it challenging to have sufficient staff to deal with a severe winter event. Processes are in place for external suppliers to assist in geographic specific locations with additional support called forward through framework contracts should severe weather persist. 6.5 Customer service – The winter policy has been designed to maintain access to the Council’s Strategic Road network and other “lifeline” routes within the confines of the
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available resources. 6.6 Risk – The proposed policy, is designed to reduce the exposure of the Council to risk. 6.7 Climate change – In recent years, weather patterns are trending to intermittent storm events with shorter duration periods of traditional “winter” hazards of snow and ice. Frequent thaws / wash-off events result in an increase of repeat salting treatments in marginal conditions. Therefor increasing cost and resource commitments, rather than reducing them. 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty – None. 6.9 Equalities: protected characteristics – None 6.10 Consumer duty – None known. 6.11 Island communities – Island road network hierarchy assessed and included in this policy. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing – The proposed policy, considers the requirement to treat routes to schools, within the confines of available resources. Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services – Kirsty Flanagan Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services – Andy Summers Policy Lead – Roads, Transport and Amenity Services - Councillor John Armour August 2025 For further information contact: Stephen Hall - Interim Head of Roads & Infrastructure Services 01546 604896 APPENDICES 1. 2025-26 Winter Service Policy Document 2. Salt Use Reduction and Preservation of Stocks Protocol (2020 revised) 3. Advisory Signing – Road Closures in Severe Conditions 4. Frontline Treatment Vehicle Fleet 2025-2026 5. Salt stocks – July 2025 – monitoring and resilience record 6. Summary of 2024-25 weather conditions